Chapter 5 - The Snake in the Garden
Quarantine did not stop the whispers from slithering through the Philadelphia underworld. Victor Rourke, bitter over Dominic’s iron grip on the family fortune and humiliated by how his daughter Sloan had been dismissed at the barbecue, smelled blood in the water. He held a secret meeting with Vincent Moretti at a private steakhouse in South Philly.
""Dominic has lost his mind over that diner girl,"" Victor sneered, cutting into his rare ribeye. ""He’s got armed guards checking thermometers at his gates. He hasn't shown up at the docks in two weeks. His wife is dying of cancer, Vincent. The man is completely blinded by grief.""
Vincent Moretti, an older boss with a face carved from stone, drummed his fingers against the white tablecloth. ""A distracted dog is easy to put down. But Dominic Rourke is dangerous even when he sleeps. Are you sure she’s that sick?""
""Sloan ripped the scarf right off her neck,"" Victor chuckled maliciously. ""She had a plastic tap drilled straight into her chest. She looked like a corpse in a sundress. We hit the Gladwyne estate now, catch him completely off guard while he’s playing nurse, and we take the northern territory before the month is out.""
Back at the Gladwyne estate, Tessa woke up at two in the morning, shivering violently beneath four heavy wool blankets. Her teeth were chattering so hard they clicked, and her skin burned like hot iron under Dominic’s touch.
Dominic grabbed the digital thermometer from the table and pressed it against her forehead. The screen beeped sharply, glowing red: 103.4°F.
Neutropenic fever. Dr. Evans's warning echoed in his mind like a siren.
""Marco!"" Dominic roared through the house, throwing a heavy duvet around Tessa's shivering frame. ""Get the armored Suburban out front! Call St. Ambrose and tell them we are inbound with a high-grade fever!""
Tessa leaned limply against Dominic’s chest, barely conscious as he carried her down the sweeping staircase. Her pulse was racing, thumping erratic and weak against her wrist. ""Dominic... it's so cold,"" she muttered deliriously. ""Make it warm...""
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""I've got you, baby,"" he choked out, sprinting through the front foyer into the humid night air. ""Stay with me. Just look at me, Tessa.""
As the heavy iron gates swung open to let the SUV peel out into the suburban night, three dark sedans parked without headlights down the road flipped on their high beams.
